Platelet aggregation and release function in hyperbaric oxygenation.

ABSTRACT

The aim of the study was to investigate the acute and chronic effects of hyperoxygenation on platelet aggregation and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) release. To observe the acute effects of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO2), seven New Zealand rabbits were exposed to 2.4 atm abs oxygen for 90 min (group 1). Eight other rabbits were further exposed to O2 daily for 20 days (group 2) to observe the chronic effects of HBO2. Adenosine diphophate (ADP) and collagen-induced platelet aggregation and ATP release were evaluated before and after oxygenation in groups 1 and 2. It was found that the maximal rate of ADP and collagen-induced platelet aggregation decreased after hyperbaric oxygenation in group 1. No significant alteration was observed in platelet responses at the end of 20 days of oxygenation in group 2. The adaptation of platelets of 2.4 atm abs O2 after 20 days of exposure seems to need further investigation.